Preach the Kingdom
These words of our founder Vincent Pescatore are painted above the door of our of our mission home in Honduras. We strive to preach the Kingdom of God by our witness of humility, faith, and joyful service to the Farm community.
Are you looking for a postgraduate service opportunity that brings you to the margins?
Are you looking for a Catholic experience to preach the Gospel?
At the Farm of the Child, we live both.
Scroll down to learn about the nuts and bolts of our service program. If you are interested in discerning international life of service at the Farm, please contact us by email at missions@farmofthechild.org, by phone at 727-475-4459, or by filling out the information request form below.
Meet our Former Misioneros
Former Missionaries
Our Pillars
Spirituality
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven// Matthew 5:3
We come to the Farm to encounter the person of Jesus Christ. The mission of the Farm as well as our community is established and remains firmly grounded in and through our relationship with Christ. We desire to grow in knowledge and practice of Gospel values. We attempt to make connections between our faith in God, life in community, and our commitments to service and simplicity. We model prayer and spirituality for our children, particularly through our full, active, and conscious participation in the established prayer structure of the Farm. We encourage the development of additional prayer opportunities based on the unique charisms and interests of our community members.
Community
Community is first of all a quality of the heart. It grows from the spiritual knowledge that we are alive not for ourselves but for one another // Henri Nouwen
We unite ourselves in one spirit, as an intentional, Christian community. Community members not only work together, but they also live together, pray together, and share in each other's lives. The success of the community depends on each member's humble commitment to participate in community life. Community members share in household responsibilities- such as cooking and cleaning, and they participate in established group activities- including business meetings, weekly community nights, and community retreats & prayer times. Additional community activities may be decided upon by the group.
Service
man, who is the only creature on earth which God willed for itself, cannot fully find himself except through a sincere gift of himself// Gaudium et spes, 24
Our primary service is our ministry of presence. We have the unique opportunity to live at our service site. This means that after a full day at the school or clinic or working in the office, service does not end. In the afternoons, children come by our home to borrow a board game, ask for homework help, or invite us to play soccer. We show up for evening holy hour, spend Saturday afternoons at a Farm-wide beach party, and drive the bus into town for Sunday mass. This type of self-gift is demanding but indescribably rewarding. Beyond a 9-5 job, we have the privileged opportunity to be older siblings, neighbors, and mentors to the children who live at the Farm.
Our team are integral members of our community, engaging in a multicultural work environment with Honduran professionals. When frustrated with cultural differences, speaking Spanish, and the inconveniences of working in a rural and isolated setting, we recognize the distorted face of the suffering Christ and choose to love.
In these daily invitations to serve, we hold together the need for healthy boundaries and our unofficial fifth pillar of flexibility when unexpected needs arise. We commit to discerning our responses: is this a prideful, self-reliant, burnout response? Is this a lazy and inflexible response? Am I responding from a place rooted in spirituality and community, at peace with myself and others? The disposition of our self-gift is to unite ourselves to Jesus’ promise: “you did it to me” (Mt. 25:40).
Simplicity
Holiness consists simply in doing God’s will, and being just what God wants us to be.// st. therese of lisieux
St. Therese of Lisieux, patroness of our mission home, is the model for simplicity in our community. Her little way encourages us to seek first the kingdom of God and trust that all will be given to us (cf Mt 6:33).
Rooted in simplicity, we strive to be grateful for all things, especially all material comforts, personal liberties, and other privileges given to us. Our cold mountain water showers, chore chart responsibilities, and simple cooking schedule remind us of our commitment to simplicity. We encourage our community to fast from lavish self-indulgence in food or possessions while in Honduras. By this act of downward mobility, we look to decrease our dependence on material goods in order to live in greater solidarity with the poor and marginalized, as well as to awaken ourselves to the truth of our fundamental dependency and fulfillment in God.
Simplicity informs how we engage with the three other pillars. In our time of prayer, we pray in trustful surrender to God’s providence and ask for peace in whatever the circumstances of the day may bring. We spend simple time together in community, playing cards and making crafts and delighting in each other’s presence. We reject the culture of busyness in our service and dare to leave our work at the end of the day, knowing there is always more we could do. We do not try to be saviors, leaving that work to Jesus Christ.
Our Programs
27 Month program
Our long-term community members make a radical commitment to spirituality, community, service, and simplicity for 27 months. If you have explored our website, you know that we are passionate about the healing, education, and transformation of children in Honduras so that they may become healthy Christian members of society. We believe that our community of helping hands play a crucial role in this process for each child.
With a commitment to prayer and intentional community, we work together to serve primarily as educators or medical professionals. Other part-time responsibilities include recreation activities, pastoral ministers, and construction/ maintenance/ agriculture. All of us commit to a ministry of presence, prioritizing people over projects.
Upon acceptance into the program, everyone must complete a background check, Diocesan safe environment training, and attend the orientation retreat in June. Before arriving at the Farm, we attend Spanish language school in Guatemala for 4-8 weeks to assist them in mastering Spanish.
*Families are welcome to apply with more than 2 years of marriage. Please contact us at missions@farmofthechild.org to learn more about what life at Farm of the Child as a family looks like.
Timeline
August 2024 - December 2026
Requirements
Faith-filled individuals who desire to live in intentional Catholic community and generously give of themselves to children in need.
Fundraise living costs (See FAQ for more details)
Virtual Orientation Retreat: June 2024
Attend Language School: September/October 2024
OUr Summer service Program
Our summer community has the unique opportunity to jump right into life at the Farm. When full-time community members take turns going on a month of summer vacation, our short-term service members substitute for their positions. Responsibilities include teaching in the school, facilitating the after school program, and organizing recreational activities according to the skills and talents of each unique member. They engage fully in community life including house chores, cooking meals, community night, and excursions. Join us for a summer you will never forget!
Timeline
10 weeks in the summer
(exact dates decided each year)
Requirements
Faith-filled individuals who desire to live in intentional Catholic community and generously give of themselves to children in need.
Conversational Spanish
Frequently Asked Questions
what if i don’t speak spanish?
For long-term missionaries, it is an advantage to have some prior knowledge of Spanish but proficiency is not an application requirement. Before arriving at the Farm, all missionaries go to language school in Antigua, Guatemala for 4-8 weeks. Through daily one-on-one tutoring sessions, living with a host family, and cultural immersion, missionaries have ample opportunity to practice their Spanish. Summer missionaries are required to have a conversational level of Spanish before arriving at the Farm.
How much does it cost?
Missionaries fundraise their living costs for their time of service. This includes flights, language school, retreats, a modest monthly stipend, and health insurance (if needed), among other costs. The average missionary fundraises between $10,000-$15,000 for their first 27 months of service. The Farm provides training and support as missionaries undertake this process. This is a great opportunity for missionaries to include friends and family in their mission!
Is it hard to be away from family?
The physical separation from family and dear friends is challenging but missionaries still maintain regular contact with them. Every week, missionaries have two hours of internet time to call home and connect. Many choose to write letters, emails, or a blog to send updates. Family members and friends are welcome to visit the Farm starting six months into the missionary’s time of service, pending availability at the Farm.
Will I get to go home during my time of service?
All missionaries take one vacation to their home country per year of service. First-year missionaries are eligible to take their vacation after six months of in-country service. This vacation is approximately four weeks long and takes place in the summer, when summer missionaries can help cover missionary responsibilities. The Missionary Coordinator and Department supervisors collaborate with each missionary to discuss exact dates according to individual and community needs.
what kind of job will i have?
What kind of job will you not have? The majority of missionaries primarily serve as full-time teachers or medical professionals but their lives are more colorful than that. Missionaries are tutors, babysitters, event coordinators, soccer coaches, and catechesis teachers. Does cooking Tuesday lunch count as a job if it takes up 3 hours of your day? The Farm is not a typical 9-5 and every day will present new opportunities to serve. The ever-changing needs of a non-profit in a developing country invite missionaries to embrace the unofficial pilar of flexibility and say “yes” to the job God puts before them every day. See what a typical day at the Farm looks like under the "What We Do" section.
Do I need to be catholic?
The Farm welcomes any Christian to apply to be a missionary. An openness to Catholic spirituality and theology is important for all missionaries because these beliefs shape many aspects of life at the Farm. Whatever the religious background of the missionary, all members of the Farm community are expected to participate in the spiritual life of the Farm including liturgies, rosary, and holy hour every week.
What are the living conditions and diet like?
Missionaries live in a modest yet comfortable home. With a view of the Trujillo Bay, the front room holds the kitchen with a water filtration system and gas stove, large dining table, living room/library, and game closet. Missionary bedrooms surround an open-air courtyard, attached to the front room, with men’s and women’s bathrooms on either side of the home. Missionaries hand-wash their clothes with a washboard and cement basin (pila) located within the missionary house and all clothes are air-dried on clotheslines. Missionaries share a bedroom, equipped with a twin bed and a dresser, with one or two members of the same sex. A wood-burning oven and stove and colorful hammocks are in the outdoor kitchen. Visit the "Explore the Farm" page to see more of the missionary house.
The typical diet of the Farm consists of rice, beans, tortillas, eggs, cheese, vegetables, and fruit. Every home receives meat provisions three times per week.
The Application Process
Thank you for your interest in joining our mission. Our first round of applications for both our 10-week 2023 summer program and our 27-month 2024-26 program are due by Feb 15th, 2024. After that date, applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Applications will be reviewed upon completion of all four steps outlined below.
Step 1: Discernment Guide
Read and pray through our discernment guide prior to beginning the application.
step 2: application form
Fill out this Google Form with relevant background information.
Step 3: Essay Questions and Resumé
Respond to these essay prompts and submit them along with your resumé to missions@farmofthechild.org within a week of submitting Step 2 of your application.
step 4: Submit three References
Please send this Google Form to three references (one personal, one work-related, and one spiritual) and ask them to submit a reference on your behalf.
For applicants graduating from or within one year of graduation from college, the personal reference must be from a representative of student life/residential life (eg., Dorm rector, not an R.A. or peer). For applicants not recently graduated from college, please contact us to discuss other reference options. The spiritual reference must be from a priest, pastor, religious, formal spiritual director, or other church leader.
Meet Our Community
Click below to view our current communities members profiles, blogs and to see how you can become part of their story
In their own words…
Current blogs
Our Finca Family
Summer 2023
2022-2023
Summer 2022
2021-2022
Summer 2021
2020-2021
2019-2020
Summer 2018
Summer 2019
2017-2018
2018-2019
2016-2017